PBS News Hour - Politics

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including a surreal week in which much of American daily life shut down, bright spots of people helping each other in a time of need, President Trump's handling of the crisis, the ongoing issue of political polarization and how government should respond.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across the U.S. has surged past 11,000, and officials expect it to rise quickly in the coming days. Meanwhile, the Senate is working on a huge economic aid package, and President Trump is waiving some FDA restrictions to try expedite treatment development. William Brangham reports and Lisa Desjardins and Yamiche Alcindor join Judy Woodruff to discuss.

Voters cast primary ballots Tuesday in the midst of a global pandemic. Despite concerns over crowded polling stations, Arizona, Florida and Illinois pressed on with their elections, while Ohio delayed its own. Stephanie Sy reports from Phoenix and Judy Woodruff gets updates from WTTW's Paris Schutz outside Chicago, Karen Kasler of Ohio Public Radio and TV and David Smiley of the Miami Herald.

On Tuesday, three states forged ahead with holding their Democratic primaries despite the extraordinary circumstances the novel coronavirus pandemic has introduced. Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest reports from Arizona, Florida and Illinois and the delegate stakes in each state for former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders debated head-to-head for the first time Sunday night. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there was no live audience at the event, and questions about President Trump's handling of the disease outbreak -- and how the candidates would respond in his situation -- dominated the early conversation. Lisa Desjardins reports.

Across the country, election officials are scrambling to decide how to adjust to the coronavirus pandemic. Louisiana and Georgia have postponed their primary contests, and candidates have eliminated public rallies entirely. But in Arizona, Tuesday's primary is still on, and some 80 percent of voters were expected to mail in their ballots ahead of time. Stephanie Sy reports.

NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Lisa Desjardins to discuss the latest political news, including how the 2020 Democratic presidential race has changed amid the coronavirus pandemic, the challenge for state election officials trying to hold primary contests and the stark American political divide over the outbreak and President Trump's handling of it.

Tonight the 11th Democratic presidential debate will feature only two candidates, and this time there will be no audience as Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders face off. But as the coronavirus shuts down much of traditional politics, virtual events are replacing public campaign rallies. NewsHour political reporter Daniel Bush joins Hari Sreenivasan for more on how the political landscape is changing.

Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has been well documented, and evidence shows Russia is again trying to undermine the 2020 election. But what is the federal government doing to stop it? Richard Hasen, founder of the Election Law Blog and author of "Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy," joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week's political news, including the unique magnitude of the novel coronavirus pandemic, how President Trump is handling the crisis, what the government should do to reassure fearful Americans, and how the outbreak might affect the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race.